June 2012 – Writing for Theology Course

Description and Purpose of the Course

Writing for Theology is an intensive writing course designed to give training in the fundamentals of expository and argumentative writing. The main emphasis is on giving students practice in organizing ideas into coherently structured and effective essays, using as a focal point their own unique experiences. Students are encouraged to look deeply into these experiences and to see them from shifting points of view.

In the course, writing is viewed as a means of communication as well as a means of inquiry, a way of thinking. To this end, the course focuses on analyzing the organizational patterns of various modes of writing and of paragraphs in relation to their development of entire essays. Problem-solving strategies for writing and concepts of critical thinking are explored. In addition to an examination of the four basic forms of writing, the research procedure and exegetical approaches are introduced. A study of grammar is incorporated into the study of writing, based on the needs of the students enrolled.

Course: Writing Skills for Theological Education

A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Thesis and Dissertations, 6th Ed.
By Kate L. Turabian, Chicago:Univesity of Chicago Press. ISBN#0-226-81627-3